The American Cancer Society estimates that cancer costs the U.S. economy almost $200 billion per year due to the costs of medical treatment (about $80 billion per year) and lost productivity due to death and/or disability (about $120 billion per year). Of course, there is also a human toll as loved ones are diagnosed, treated, and sometimes die from many forms of cancer. Because of the high social and economic costs of cancer, new cancer treatments are a top priority for institutions such as the U.S. National Institutes of Health as well as major pharmaceutical companies.